Mercenary

Esquire, Hearst by Tom Junod | May. 8, 2007 (Special Report)

If you learned that the man in this photo -- a professional assassin -- was the head of security at one of our nation's most vulnerable nuclear facilities, would it trouble you? Or would it sound like one hell of a story?

The Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert, Michigan, is real. It produces 778 megawatts of electricity, and the electricity keeps the lights burning for about half a million residents. The nuclear reactor inside the nuclear plant is also real. It gets really hot, and anyone driving on Interstate 196 on his way to Grand Rapids or St. Joe can see thin clouds of steam rising from its cooling towers, as constant a presence as the weather. The steam is real; it's ... Full Story »

Posted by Dale Penn

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2.4

by Mike LaBonte - Oct. 1, 2008

This is a loooong story, almost a short biography, which makes it unfortunate that the writing is so overly dramatic, more like a novel. Good number of sources. Gives quite a bit of information, and near the end reveals that almost all of it is false.

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3.9

by Dale Penn - Oct. 1, 2008

A frightening true story about the head of security at a nuclear facility near Chicago. It's a bit long, reading like a spy novel spliced with "Tuesdays with Morrie". There is a curious twist at the end that makes it worthwhile. This is definitely not your typical piece of journalism, but I think it is good journalism never the less.

Dale posted this story.

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